UNIQUE COURSE FOR NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETY STUDENTS

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WESTMINSTER COLLEGE · 1 · WCMO.EDU/NHS

Dear NHS Advisor,

Greetings from Westminster College! I hope this letter finds you well and enjoying a bit of rest before the new academic year begins. As you start making plans for your students this year, I’d like to let you know about a special opportunity that Westminster College is launching this fall, designed specifically for National Honor Society students. As a means of introducing your students to college-level learning and leadership, we have created a one-hour academic course that engages NHS students in on-campus activities, mentoring by key faculty, and opportunities for leadership and service.

The theme of this course, HON 100 Honors Seminar, aligns with our signature event at Westminster, the Hancock Symposium. Every September, Westminster suspends regular courses for two days so that all students and faculty can attend the Symposium together. During this time, students get to know leaders from around the world, engage in discussions with their classmates, and enjoy the experience of learning together. This year’s theme is “Breakthrough,” which will allow us to explore breakthroughs in all dimensions of the human experience, from science to education to human rights. And we are pleased to announce that both Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and Nobel Laureate George Smith will be among our honored guests. We would like to give your students the opportunity to be part of the Symposium and then continue to engage with campus events throughout the rest of the year.

We would be delighted if you would recommend a few students for this program. And as you consider which students might be the best fit, we urge you to think of those who would most benefit from an experience that would challenge them to grow both personally and academically. We realize that NHS students have many opportunities for achievement, but often the students who need opportunities most are the ones who miss out. Our strength at Westminster is helping students find their purpose--and to be empowered as learners and citizens as they do so.

Please see the attached flyer for more details about the NHS Breakthrough Program, and feel free to contact me at any time if you have questions.

Best wishes for the rest of the summer.

Sincerely,

WESTMINSTER COLLEGE · 2 · WCMO.EDU/NHS

PARTNERING WITH THE NATIONAL HONOR SOCIETYWESTMINSTER COLLEGE INVITES YOU TO APPLY TO

THE NHS BREAKTHROUGH PROGRAM

A selective academic and leadership experience limited to National Honor Society students.

Westminster College seeks to make the transition from high school to college easier by engaging select high school students in their junior and/or senior years in on-campus activities. We believe that NHS students are uniquely qualified for this program.

Therefore, the NHS Breakthrough Program is designed to introduce NHS to college-level learning and leadership. Components of the Program include:

• A one-hour academic course, HON 100 Honors Seminar: Breakthrough

• Mentoring by a Westminster College faculty member

• An invitation to all major events on campus: The Hancock Symposium, the C.S. Lewis Lecture, a Model U.N. simulation, and the Undergraduate Scholars Forum, among others

• Opportunities to complete the 25 service hours required by NHS

• Flexible format: students are encouraged to attend events on campus as their schedules allow, but they will also be able to attend through live-streaming and video conferencing

WHO IS ELIGIBLE?

• The Program is open to all current high school juniors and seniors.

• Students who enroll during their junior year may repeat the course during their senior year.

WHAT DOES THE PROGRAM COST?

• Because this program is highly selective, all students will be given a full-tuition scholarship.

• Some additional scholarship funding (needs-based) is available to cover the cost of travel to and from the Westminster campus.

HOW DO I SIGN UP? Students interested in the program should contact XXX for an application. To apply, students need:

• Membership in National Honor Society

• A completed application form

• A recommendation by the NHS advisor and one other faculty member

• All materials submitted no later than XXX

WESTMINSTER COLLEGE · 3 · WCMO.EDU/NHS

HON 100 HONORS SEMINAR: BREAKTHROUGHWESTMINSTER COLLEGE

2019-2020

OVERVIEW OF THE COURSE

Students enrolled in HON 100 will engage in a series of activities and projects throughout the academic year—some on the campus of Westminster College, some through live streaming or virtual class sessions, and some through working both directly and remotely with Westminster faculty mentors. The course focuses on introducing students to a series of thought-provoking topics, through which they receive a thorough grounding in liberal arts thinking and learning; at the same time, the course will encourage students to assess and strengthen their leadership potential. Because our signature event on campus, the Hancock Symposium, focuses on the concept of “breakthrough” this year, students will study key scientific, technological, educational, social, and artistic breakthroughs. At the same time, they will engage in personal and professional development activities, helping them explore avenues to their future and means of achieving potential breakthroughs of their own. At the end of the spring semester, successful students will receive one hour of academic credit (on a credit/no credit basis).

COURSE PLAN

Because we know high school juniors and seniors have very busy lives, we have designed HON 150 with as much flexibility as possible. Those students able to come to campus regularly will be asked to attend the following events:

September 18-19, 2019: Hancock Symposium October 2019 (TBD): StrengthsQuest Program with Westminster Office of Career Development February 6, 2020: C.S. Lewis Lecture OR March 2020 (TBD): Model U.N. Simulation April 16, 2020: Undergraduate Scholars Forum

Students unable to come to campus for all of these events will able to watch them through livestreaming or videotaped programming, will meet with faculty and staff through Zoom or Skype, and will be offered supplemental materials to help them complete the assignments.

WESTMINSTER COLLEGE · 4 · WCMO.EDU/NHS

ASSIGNMENTS

Readings: Occasional readings will accompany the campus events, chosen to help deepen students’ knowledge of the topics of discussion.

Writing Assignments: All assignments will be typed and submitted through Canvas, Westminster’s course management system. They will be evaluated for content only.

Response Papers: Students will write two informal response papers, one focused on what they learned through the Hancock Symposium; the other focused on the C.S. Lewis Lecture or the Model U.N. simulation. Faculty will provide prompts for students to respond to.

StrengthsQuest Assessment: Students will write a self-assessment based on what they learned through the StrengthsQuest program.

Final Reflection Paper: Students will write a paper that describes the most significant learning experiences of the year, what they gained from those experiences, and how they view themselves as learners and leaders. Students will also use this final paper to reflect on their own growth and set goals for the future.

Mentoring: All students in HON 100 will be provided regular mentoring by a Westminster faculty member. The purpose of this relationship is to help students get answers to their questions about the adjustment to college academics, set and explore career goals, and set and explore goals for leader-development.